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On March 24, 2009 President Obama and school children from Washington D. C. spoke to crew members from the space shuttle Discovery and the International Space Station.The astronauts answered questions about what it is like to live in space and what their job is. They did say that they were able to play video games, but didn't have much free time to do that. They also said that the food in space was "pretty good" and that they no longer drink Tang (which is a powdered drink). Many of these astronauts have lived in space for several months. I think that is really, really cool! Some nights I look up at the stars and the moon and think how awesome it would be to be able to spend some time in space, or maybe even take my dog for a walk on the moon!

Did you know that Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the moon? He stepped foot on the moon surface on July 20, 1969. As he stepped on the moon Mr. Armstrong said "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind". If you want to see this historic event click on this link and it will bring you to National Geographic News where you can view a video showing him stepping on the moon.
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Before leaving the moon he and his fellow Astronaut, Buzz Armstrong, left an American flag and a plaque on the moon that read, "Here men from the planet Earth first set foot on the Moon—July 1969 A.D.—We came in peace for all mankind." I found this picture of Mr. Armstrong on the moon at Google Images.



ASSIGNMENT
Your assignment is to pretend that you have been given the opportunity to travel in space and spend a month on the moon being a Student Assistant to the Astronauts and helping them with their research. NASA will provide you with your clothes and meals, and of course your shuttle ride to and from the moon, but they tell you that you can only bring four personal items along with you on your trip. So your assignment is to write an essay (a minimum of 5 sentences) that describes the four items you would bring on this adventure, and why you picked those items.You might also want to mention some of the people, things and activities you would miss while on the moon. Please take time to think about your answer, write a rough draft (your "sloppy copy") using paper and pencil, review it to make changes and check for spelling and grammar before posting your essay using the discussion feature on this page.
References: Fox News, The Washington Post, Yahoo News